# Common parlance be damned! What words don't mean what you think? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844 "2005-03-16T17:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/21 "2005-03-16T22:59:59Z")
The one that drives me nuts is “inflammable.” That word should mean “not flammable” not “incredibly flammable.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/22 "2005-03-16T23:14:02Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > The one that drives me nuts is “inflammable.” That word should mean “not flammable” not “incredibly flammable.” :smack: No. The root word of _inflammable_ is _inflame_, with the meaning “to set fire to”. In this case, the prefix _in-_ means “in or into” rather than “not”. See [url=http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=in-]in-[sup]2[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/23 "2005-03-16T23:15:44Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > The one that drives me nuts is “inflammable.” That word should mean “not flammable” not “incredibly flammable.” :smack: What a country! ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/24 "2005-03-17T00:21:44Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Fair enough. > > Question revised: Does anyone know of any archaic word which originally meant something outer than it means today? “Like” used to mean (among other things) “similar to”. Now it is used to mean “about” (It was like 32 degrees this morning), "said, “thought” (as in “I’m like, wow!” and as an utterly, like, unnecessary introductory interjection (as in this sentence). ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/25 "2005-03-17T00:45:53Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Many old-timers in the South still refer to the midday meal as “dinner.” I’m certainly not from the South, but where I grew up (rural Saskatchewan) dinner was eaten at noon, and supper in the evening. This is still common usage. I’ve come to use “lunch” and “supper” in order to avoid ambiguity, since different people in my life use “dinner” in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/26 "2005-03-17T01:28:17Z")
I get crazy with people who refer to something as a ‘moot point’ to signify a topic that no longer merits discussion. Just the opposite! Ask a law student about ‘Moot Court’. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/27 "2005-03-17T01:33:22Z")
Is is possible to be ‘chalant’? All I ever hear about it is a lot of negativity. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/28 "2005-03-17T01:47:18Z")
I find “cleave” interesting, and years ago, had the “huh?” reaction when I paid attention to the words in a wedding ceremony when it talked about the husband and wife cleaving together. Interesting that as an intransitive verb [cleave]([http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html](http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html)) means to cling together, but as a transitive verb [cleave](http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html) means to split apart. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/29 "2005-03-17T01:55:48Z")
Well, there is the case of _inflammable_ which means _flammable_ despite the negating prefix \*in[/]. In this case the prefix in- is an intensifier rather than a negator however that’s a minor technicality in light of the numerous instances were in- is negating - inflexible, inability, injustice, injudicious, inharmonious and on and on. Some years ago somebody, maybe the ICC or the insurance industry or both, told the flammable materials transportation industry that they would had start marking their carriers “flammable” vice “inflammable.” ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/30 "2005-03-17T01:57:26Z")
I see my point was already covered. That’s what being lazy get you. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/31 "2005-03-17T02:06:13Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > I get crazy with people who refer to something as a ‘moot point’ to signify a topic that no longer merits discussion. > > Just the opposite! Ask a law student about ‘Moot Court’. [Ahem…](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=moot) > [@](#): > > Usage Note: The adjective moot is originally a legal term going back to the mid-16th century. It derives from the noun moot, in its sense of a hypothetical case argued as an exercise by law students. Consequently, a moot question is one that is arguable or open to debate. **But in the mid-19th century people also began to look at the hypothetical side of moot as its essential meaning, and they started to use the word to mean “of no significance or relevance.”** Thus, a moot point, however debatable, is one that has no practical value. A number of critics have objected to this use, but 59 percent of the Usage Panel accepts it in the sentence The nominee himself chastised the White House for failing to do more to support him, but his concerns became moot when a number of Republicans announced that they, too, would oppose the nomination. When using moot one should be sure that the context makes clear which sense is meant. While I know the original meaning, I use moot most often to mean “trivial, unimportant.” ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/32 "2005-03-17T02:06:33Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Fair enough. > > Question revised: Does anyone know of any archaic word which originally meant something outer than it means today? I think the answer would be shorter if you asked for words that have always meant what they mean now. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/33 "2005-03-17T08:14:54Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Fair enough. > > Question revised: Does anyone know of any archaic word which originally meant something outer _sic_ than it means today? ‘Egregious’ and ‘Pharmacy’ now signify the opposite of their original meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/34 "2005-03-17T08:19:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Similarly, no one ever thinks of a bundle of sticks when they hear “faggot.” Very few people anyway. However they are larger in number than those who think of a bundle of sticks when they hear “fascist.” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/35 "2005-03-17T09:35:38Z")
For a time I would have sworn that common usages of these (related) words were as such: Approximate: Give a rough estimate Approximately: Precisely Which always confused the heck out of me, and I could have sworn my dictionary at the time (10 years ago) backed up these discordant definitions. But now checking again, the wiktionary and GuruNet are both telling me that approximately means “roughly” so that they both line up with one-another. Either that or I am fritzing out. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/36 "2005-03-17T09:41:52Z")
> [@Sevastopol](#): > > Very few people anyway. However they are larger in number than those who think of a bundle of sticks when they hear “fascist.” Not merely a simple bundle of sticks, no, but a bundle of rods round an axe… Very phallic ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/37 "2005-03-17T10:02:04Z")
> [@Sevastopol](#): > > ‘Egregious’ and ‘Pharmacy’ now signify the opposite of their original meanings. What’s the opposite of “pharmacy?” ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/38 "2005-03-17T10:08:16Z")
Re: eel, I came across the old, old book I found the claim in, and it said that there is aspecies of eel on the island of Sicily, and that it is a kind oh eel called a flauta, and that the instrument is named after it. Interesting, but hardly proof, so I googled [flauta +anguilla](http://www.google.com/search?q=flauta+%2Banguilla+&btnG=Search&hl=en&lr=), tha is to say, the name of the kind of eel + plus the italian word for eel, and I found some very interesting things, most of them to hard to translate, but: a kind of lamprey that looks like a flute, or rather… Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758 Nombre local: lamprea, flauta the picture is very easy to find, for it is at the top of the page: [http://www.icman.csic.es/divulg/divgFPECESGUA\_sp.htm](http://www.icman.csic.es/divulg/divgFPECESGUA_sp.htm) but wait, it’s from a Puerto Real-ean webpage, (Realist, Realian?) So, I don’t know, and I have been putting too much thought into it. ---
**Author:** ![marky33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@marky33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marky33)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/39 "2005-03-17T10:17:29Z")
> [@Sevastopol](#): > > ‘Egregious’ and ‘Pharmacy’ now signify the opposite of their original meanings. What’s the opposite of pharmacy? The art of NOT preparing and dispensing drugs??? ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844/40 "2005-03-17T10:18:32Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > I find “cleave” interesting, and years ago, had the “huh?” reaction when I paid attention to the words in a wedding ceremony when it talked about the husband and wife cleaving together. Interesting that as an intransitive verb [cleave]([http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html](http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html)) means to cling together, but as a transitive verb [cleave](http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/C0399000.html) means to split apart. Words that are their own opposites are cool. **Sanction** is another one - sanction can mean **forbid** or **permit** depending on context. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-parlance-be-damned-what-words-dont-mean-what-you-think/294844.md?page=3)